JOIN IN TOMORROW!: Dequindre Trail expansion to open

**Rocko** · June-09-10, 11:43 AM

From Freep.com:

Posted: 11:46 a.m. June 9, 2010

Dequindre Trail expansion to open

By JOHN GALLAGHER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Mayor Dave Bing and other leaders are to open on Thursday the Dequindre Trail Extension, a pedestrian and bike pathway that connects the Dequindre Cut Greenway to the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor and the Detroit RiverWalk.

The ribbon-cutting is scheduled to take place at 1:30 p.m. The leaders are expected to cut a blue ribbon at the RiverWalk end of the trail, walk the pathway and cut a green ribbon at the Greenway end of the trail.

As part of the ceremony, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy will present a set of colorful banners for light poles along the Dequindre Greenway and Trail that were designed by Detroit schoolchildren and students at the College for Creative Studies.

**southen** · June-09-10, 12:47 PM

thats awesome! ive been waiting a couple of weeks for them to finish that up for when im riding down there.

**Gsgeorge** · June-09-10, 01:30 PM

Too bad they won't be able to do anything except walk around the extension... the major reconstruction on Atwater prevents anyone from walking from the DC to the Riverwalk.... Lame.

**leland_palmer** · June-09-10, 02:34 PM

I took a few shots of the extension while I was at the Air Race on Sunday. It looks pretty nice. I finally got a chance to walk the rest of the cut as well.

http://fadeddetroit.blogspot.com/201...-cut-2010.html

**DetroitZack** · June-09-10, 04:52 PM

Finally! I was wondering when it was going to be ready. :-D

**ggcanfield** · June-09-10, 06:03 PM

@Gsgeorge...there is a temporary paved path for pedestrians/bikes/strollers etc. that will get you between the Riverwalk and the Dequindre Cut extension entrance on Atwater. I walked it last night.

**Gsgeorge** · June-09-10, 07:15 PM

I really like the extension. Our own little "High Line". I can see this increasing the chances of the Globe Trading Lofts being built by a factor of 10.

**Russix** · June-09-10, 07:44 PM

Now if it can just make it to Adelaide St it would be pretty sweet to bypass Gratiot.

**ggcanfield** · June-09-10, 09:20 PM

Gsgeorge, as one who looks at the High Line website wistfully every few weeks, I share your hopes for the DC.
http://www.thehighline.org/

**professorscott** · June-10-10, 08:49 AM

This is great news, and anything that makes it easier for us to see our beautiful but wounded old city by bicycle, and get around it in that way, improves the chances of our being able to attract young professional types and empty nesters to visit and perhaps even [[gasp) live here.

The thing modern successful cities have that we lack is transportation multimodality: the ability to easily get around by car, transit or bicycle. Of course we have cars completely licked. Transit is very expensive and we don't seem to have the political will to actually get it done. But it's relatively inexpensive and noncontroversial to make it easier to bicycle, so: let's do it!

**UnsteadyYeti** · June-10-10, 02:43 PM

When are they going to finish the portion to connect it to eastern market by going under gratiot? I know it was in the original plans.

**rjlj** · June-10-10, 03:12 PM

The High Line is nice and all but I think the Dequindre Cut/River Walk has the potential to be on par or better. Animals and Bikes are not allowed on the High Line. The walking lanes are narrow and at times can get crowded. With all the rules and the way people are corralled you feel like you are on a man made adventure trail at Disney Land. I am curious to see the new sections open.

**Detroit Stylin** · June-10-10, 03:44 PM

Yeah It was nice.....i spent a couple hours looking @ the skyline....that spot has SOOOOO much potential....

**DetroitPlanner** · June-10-10, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by UnsteadyYeti

When are they going to finish the portion to connect it to eastern market by going under gratiot? I know it was in the original plans.

If you want it, champion it. Work with the City, State, and local non-profits to secure funding and engineering. Until someone steps up to do this its only lines on a planner's map. Some resources would be the Community Foundation who did the original Greenways Plan, MDOT for Transportation Enhancement funding, and the Detroit Recreation Department.

**Todd_Scott** · June-10-10, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by UnsteadyYeti

When are they going to finish the portion to connect it to eastern market by going under gratiot? I know it was in the original plans.

The extension to Mack Avenue [[and Eastern Market) has been worked on for some time now. That land is privately owned and discussions are continuing.

DetroitDad · June-10-10, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by Gsgeorge

I really like the extension. Our own little "High Line". I can see this increasing the chances of the Globe Trading Lofts being built by a factor of 10.

The Global Trade Lofts are going to be amazing. On the outside, it is not much to look at, but if you've ever been inside that place, you'd know that it is easily one of the most amazing buildings near Downtown. It is simply amazing!

I have not formed a complete opinion on the city council's insistence that the entire East riverfront should be kept for the super wealthy and millionaires. I like the visions in the past that were quickly scraped, an area prime for brownstones, townhouses, and smaller apartment buildings, with a new diagonal street connecting the area with Bricktown, and a new transit line up the Dequindre Cut, curving and terminating at the Renaissance Center. All with the new state park and River Walk as the new park center, the Renaissance Center as the retail center, and the Globe Trade Building as the community and residential center to help define the area and give it character as an urban district.

Of course, true urbanism and urban renewal is partially dependent on the area having people of all income levels in the district. This unfortunately does not fit the city's vision for the East Riverfront.

DetroitDad · June-10-10, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by UnsteadyYeti

When are they going to finish the portion to connect it to eastern market by going under gratiot? I know it was in the original plans.

I like to think we are getting ready for The Roaring Twenties again.

I do not remember the exact time frame, but the eventual plan is to bring a green way all the way up and over to Midtown, straight through Brush Park, as well as up Dequindre to Warren Road, and over to the Midtown Loop. Completion of this grand vision is based on a lot of things coming together....

**Rocko** · June-10-10, 10:42 PM

There should be plenty of room to put the trail in up as far as Mack. The Dequindre cut once had 4 tracks running the length of it [[2 main tracks on the inside plus two service/industry switch tracks on the outside). A single Detroit Connecting track remains [[although there is a run-around track somewhere near Mack) to serve their farthest south customer...so there should be room on the ROW for the pathway, too. Maybe the railroad and the conservancy can team up to clean up that northern part of the cut....just fill up train cars with trash and debris and shuttle them right into the incinerator complex!!

**detmsp** · June-10-10, 11:16 PM

This is probably a pipe dream, but if light rail, street cars, etc got good enough in downtown to make the people mover [[more) obsolete, i'd love to see it turn into something like the high line.